Journalism

College of Liberal Arts

Journalism - Programs

** Please note the information below has been altered from the print version of the CSULB Catalog. Properly listed here are the upper division requirements (JOUR 311, 430, 431 and 495) for the Journalism Degree. (08/27/10) **

Bachelor of Arts in Journalism
(code JOURBA08) (120 units)

Admission Under Impaction

To be eligible for admission to the major in Journalism, applicants must demonstrate the following prior to the semester for which the application is submitted: Applicants must have met requirements for admission to the university as a freshman or transfer student and have completed the following courses (or equivalents) with a grade of “C” or better: General Education English and General Education Communication Studies. Eligible applicants will be selected for admission on a space-available basis based on cumulative grade point average.

General Requirements

Computer Prerequisites to Entering Journalism Classes: All students entering journalism skills courses must be familiar with at least one established word-processing program at the level of at least 40 words per minute.
Professional Skills: JOUR 101, 120 and 311 are the basic writing and reporting courses for journalism and are prerequisites for most upper division skills courses in the department.

Residency Requirements: Transfer students must complete at least 50 percent of their upper-division journalism units at CSULB. Journalism courses taken on another campus may not be substituted for CSULB journalism courses without the approval of the CSULB Department of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Distribution of Units: Journalism majors may apply no more than 40 units of journalism courses toward the 120 units required for the degree of Bachelor of Arts. A minimum of 65 units must be in the traditional liberal arts and sciences – courses offered by the Colleges of Liberal Arts and the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.
With a minimum of 65 units of liberal arts, Journalism majors may elect up to 15 units outside Journalism and liberal arts and sciences in courses that fall into other categories. Often these are in areas such as business, the arts or health. No more than 15 units in such areas may count toward the 120 units required for graduation. Students should meet with a journalism adviser before declaring the major, the minor or a minor concentration.

Journalism majors are required to have a minor or a minor concentration. Each CSULB department defines its own minor, and these vary between 18 and 24 units. The minor concentration is composed of 15 units, usually two lower-division and three upper-division courses, and it is selected in consultation with a journalism adviser.

Students interested in pursuing the Single-Subject Credential in English/Journalism should consult the teaching credential adviser in the Department of English.

By default, students are placed in the Journalism program but may also choose to pursue a Specialization in Public Relations.

Specific Requirements for the Journalism Degree

This degree program requires a minimum of 34 and a maximum of 40 units in the major, of which seven are lower division and 27 to 33 are upper division.

Take up to six additional units chosen from either of the preceding two lists and/or JOUR 490, 498 and 499.
In addition to the “C” average in the overall major and the “C” average in the upper division major at CSULB, both of which are required by the University, journalism majors must earn a “C” or better in each of these core courses: JOUR 110, 120, 311, 430, 431 and 495.

Requirements for a Specialization in Public Relations:

Lower Division:

Take all the following courses:

JOUR 101 English for Media Writers (1)

JOUR 110 Introduction to Mass Communications (3)

JOUR 120 Writing Across the Media (3)

Upper Division:

Take all the following courses:

JOUR 311 Reporting and Information Gathering (3)

JOUR 370 Principles of Public Relations (3)

JOUR 374 Written Communication Public Relations (3)

JOUR 430 Law of Mass Communications (3)

JOUR 431 Mass Media Ethics (3)

JOUR 471 Public Relations Mgmt and Campaigns (3)

JOUR 478 Public Relations Case Studies (3)

Take a minimum of two courses and up to a maximum of four courses chosen from among JOUR 300, 305 (recommended for public relations), 310, 312I, 315, 316, 320, 321, 331, 340, 380, 382, 412, 415, 418, 420, 422, 440, 480, 482, 490, 494 (highly recommended for public relations), 495, 498 (highly recommended for public relations), and 499.